Film categories
There are seven categories. One film can go into every category it qualifies for, and each of those entries is judged on its own.
The seven categories
All films must be finished after 1 January 2024. If the dialogue or narration isn't in English, add English subtitles.
- Short Film
Fiction that tells a complete story.
Up to 30 minutes.
- Feature Film
Fiction for the big screen.
60 minutes or longer.
- Documentary
Non-fiction about people, places, memory and heritage.
Any length.
- Animation
Any technique: hand-drawn, stop-motion, 2D, 3D or a mix.
Any length.
- Student Film
Made while you were enrolled at a school, college, university or training programme.
Up to 30 minutes. We may ask for proof that you were enrolled.
- Limpopo Voices
Any film by a Limpopo filmmaker, or any film shot mainly in Limpopo.
The director or production company is based in Limpopo, or most of the filming happened here.
- Mother Tongue
Films told in an indigenous South African language: Tshivenda, Xitsonga, Sepedi, isiNdebele, isiZulu, isiXhosa, Setswana, Sesotho, siSwati and others.
At least half the dialogue or narration is in an indigenous South African language, with English subtitles.
One film, several entries
Say you made a 20-minute drama in Tshivenda, shot in Thohoyandou. It can go into Short Film, Limpopo Voices and Mother Tongue. That is three entries from one submission, and the portal ticks only the categories your film qualifies for, so you can't pick a wrong one.
Fiction between 31 and 59 minutes doesn't fit Short Film or Feature Film. It can still go into Limpopo Voices or Mother Tongue if it qualifies, or into Documentary or Animation if it is one of those.
What the jury scores
Every film is watched by a person. Each juror scores five things from 1 to 10:
- Story: does it hold us from the first frame to the last?
- Craft: picture, sound and edit.
- Performance: the people on screen, actors or not.
- Originality: something we haven't seen before, or an old story told a new way.
- Heritage: how the film carries our languages, places and memory.
A small budget doesn't count against you. A phone film with a strong story can beat a polished one with nothing to say.
Entries are free and close at 23:59 on 6 November.
Submit your film